Bir-Billing Paragliding Capital of India

Bir is a small town located in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. Bir Billing is a popular destination for adventures sports such as paragliding, treks and also as the town for meditation.Are you really interested in going out for an adventurous Journey? Trip will be more exciting if it is done along with the family members and the friends with full energy and zeal.The most attractive town
of is well known for its tourist attraction for the mediation and maintaining ecosystem in a more desirable manner.

The location in the Indian hills of Himalayas that is surrounded by beautiful mountains and forests. When you visit the place,You can enjoy various amazing activities such as trekking, Hiking, Camping and much more! Bir is considered as one of the best spots in the world for paragliding and it hosts the World Paragliding Championship every year.The take-off site is called Billing and the landing site is Bir and the overall altitude change is around 800m. The town of Bir is also an important centre of spiritual studies and meditation. There is a major Tibetan community settlement in this town and the culture of Bir is highly influenced by Tibetan culture.This town is the hub of adventure-sports activities and paragliding spots are abundant here. These activities are safe and all standards of safety are taken care of. People can also go for trekking in one of the most picturesque routes in Himanchal Pradesh. Besides this the Deer Park and the Bir Tea Factory are must-visits.It does not end just as a trip, but it can be adventurous and fun. There is more than one option to choose if your plan is to visit this beautiful place.This is the best place for eco tourism and meditation studies. This place attracts global visitors.

History of Bir

The town of Bir was ruled by the Pal dynasty, belonging to the Chandravanshi lineage. They were cheated out of their kingdom with the murder of their king Raizada Prithi Pal, the last of the descendants of the Rajas of Bangahal, by his father in law Raja Sidhi Sen from the Mandi kingdom. Despite repeated efforts over the generations by different Pal rulers, who even received aid from the Mughals, they were unable to annexe the town of Bir back from the Rajas of Mandi. The establishment of the Tibetan monastery marks a new chapter in Bir's history in the 1960s, with the arrival of Neten Chokling, an incarnate lama of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. His later incarnations, along with Chokling Rinpoche, contributed to the building of the beautiful and famous Tibetan Monastery, which to this day continues to house many refugees.

Tibetan Colony in Bir

The Tibetan Colony of Bir, located in the village of Chowgan, was established in the 1960s by Chokling Rinpoche. After the exile of several refugees, including the Dalai Lama from Tibet, there was an influx of them into Bir. Many of the original refugees came from Kham in south-east Tibet. The population of the colony to this day continues to be predominantly Tibetan, but there are also some Indian families and other expatriates. The colony has several Tibetan monasteries. It also has some tourist attractions like the Deer Park Institute, a branch of the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute (Men-Tsee-Khang), and a Tibetan handicrafts shop.

Paragliding in Bir

This is a major reason why scores of tourists visit Bir. Being an ideal ground of paragliding, the months from March to November are replete with thousands of tourists, especially bold adventurers visiting Bir and the adjacent town of Billing, 14 km. north from Bir, for the paragliding. The takeoff spot is at Billing, whereas the landing spot is at Bir, the altitude change being that of 800 m. Not only do you get a slice of adventure, it is also quite safe, with the requisite safety standards clearly met. No wonder why Bir and Billing's co-hosted the first official Paragliding World Championship in October 2015, where 150 trained paragliders competed for the ultimate glory, along with 500+ free flying paragliders enjoying their day.That's why Bir is also called unofficially the 'Paragliding Capital of India'.

Buddhist Monastery at Bir: Bir village is famous for its Tibetian Colony & Buddhist monasteries. Hang gliding pilots use it as their landing site. Bir, surrounded by tea gardens and an amphitheater of low hills, is an ideal landing around for para-gliders. Bir has Buddhist Monasteries that are worth visiting. Fine Tibetan handi craft are also produced here. Palampur is 29 km and Baijnath is 13 km from Bir.

Paragliding at Billing, : Billing up in the hills, 14 km from Bir. Himachal Pradesh came in the news in 1984 when an international Hang Gliding rally was organized at Billing, a place 20 km from Palampur where some expert hang gliders of the world participated. They rated this place as one of best in the world. In the month of May / June a tented colony is set up by H.P. Tourism to facilitate Hang gliders. At this time all the roads lead to Billing.

This site is regarded as among the best in the world for Paragliding. Billing (2290 m) is the take-off site and Bir (1400 m) is the village at the landing site.The road distance between the two is 14 km. Bir is sheltered by the Dhauladhar mountains and the ridges behind keep rising to 3000 m, 4000 m, 5000 m and one after the other so as pilot can fly at 4000 m and still watch the mountains tower above. Bir is a beautiful village surrounded by tea gardens and spectacular scenery, whereas Billing offers unique opportunities for high altitude and cross country flying and flights of 180 kms have been achieved from here.

Their launching (take-off) destination 'Billing', is a little meadow at 2,400m (8500 ft) on the Dhauladhar ranges, 14-km up from Bir. This meadow one of the wonders of nature, perfectly
designed as a launch pad, has become a legend on the international paragliding circuits and a destination for World Champion Paraglider pilots. The meadow directly above the villages of
Bir and Chaugan, is one of the best gliding sites in the world.

You can reach Bir-Billing either by bus or by cab.

You’ll get a bus from Chandigarh sector-43 ISBT to Baijnath. Baijnath is like a 20 min ride away from Bir. Take a bus at 8 or 9 in the evening preferably.That way you can sleep all the way to Baijnath at night.Take a cab to Bir or wait for a bus.

Taking a cab straight from Chandigarh to Bir-Billing is another option. It’s a little expensive than the former but a lot more comfortable and faster.

The town of Bir is around 28 km from Palampur, while the town of Billing is at a distance of 42 kilometers from the town. Both are easily accessible by all available means of transport

The ideal months to visit these stations are april to October(its not that compulsory though ).